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62nd Vuelta a España - GT

Spain, September 1-23, 2007

Vuelta's one-two punch

The 2007 Vuelta a España will start without not only last year's winner, but
without the entire 2006 podium. Despite this, the racing will be as close and
exciting as ever. Cyclingnews' Gregor Brown picks out the favourites.

The riders of the 62nd Vuelta a España will start their 3291-kilometre journey
this Saturday, September 1, from Vigo, heading out onto a parcours that, along
with the composition of the peloton, should make for a gripping 2007 edition
of the race. Organiser Unipublic has continued to do what it does best by offering
an exciting three-week journey, this year delivered in the form of a one-two
punch.

The fight for the Maillot Oro will take place as the roads guide the
riders from north-western Spain in a clockwise direction. It takes in Galicia
and Asturia on its way east before skirting down the coast for the southern
stages. It is the northern stages of the first week and the southern stages
in the third week that will pack the biggest punch. After the sprinters have
had a chance in the first three days, the GC contenders will come out to play,
and we should have an early glimpse of the final winner as early as Tuesday
- just four days into the race - when the riders meet their first big obstacle:
the 12.6-kilometre ascent of Lagos
de Covadonga.

After stage four, the second big appointment will be the 52-kilometre
time trial in Cariñena to Zaragoza. The slightly downhill parcours will
be shaped by the wind, which is always a factor in the Spanish Tour.

There will be no respite for the overall contenders, and they will head immediately
into the mountain-top finishes on stage
nine (167.6 kilometres to Cerler) and stage
10 (a massive 214 kilometres to Andorra), both of which will blast out weaker
riders and lock down the GC-battle to a select set of champions.

As the Vuelta travels to the south for its final punch after the second rest
day, the sprinters and strong winds will have their day in the sun as the race
hurtles toward a thrilling final week conclusion. Before the riders have their
parade lap into Madrid, they'll have to deal with Stage
19, the third-to-last stage of the Vuelta, which will put the final icing
on the cake. The 'short' 133-kilometre stage to Alto de Abantos is where Valverde
lost the race in 2006, and is packed with five classified climbs before the
final mountain top arrival.

Unlike the Tour de France with its brutally long and decisive time trials,
the Vuelta's second time
trial is just 20 kilometres in length, and will not likely make much of
a difference in the pecking order of the final GC. However, if the overall classification
is separated by mere seconds like this year's Tour, the flat dash around Villalba
could make for an exciting stage before the sprinters have their romp into Madrid.

The last editions of the Grand Tour have been marred with difficulties. Roberto
Heras' title was stripped in 2005 after he tested positive for EPO, and the
podium of 2006, now, seems more like a display of painful memories. Astana's
Alexander Vinokourov (2006 winner) and Andrey Kashechkin (third) have both tested
positive for blood doping in the last months, while Spain's favourite, Alejandro
Valverde has been forced to face the courts in Operación Puerto-related
matters.

There are still a lot of quality riders that will contest the 21 stages of
this year's event. The favourites have to be Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d'Epargne),
Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), José Angel Gomez Marchante (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
and Carlos Sastre (Team CSC). Favourites from outside of the Iberian Peninsula
include second place Tour finisher Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto), de facto 2005
winner Denis Menchov (Rabobank) and Discovery Channel's Tom Danielson and Janez
Brajkovic.

Pereiro and Sánchez have been targeting the Vuelta all year. Sammy Sánchez
is one of the most dynamic riders in Spain. Seeing him round out his palmarès,
which includes the GP Zürich, with a Grand Tour would be spectacular. Gomez
Marchante's fifth place overall in 2006 proved the man can ride a good three
week race, and his Spain-based team will back him completely as he goes for
the top of the GC.

Sastre, mister consistency, will for sure be in the top five by Madrid. He
finished fourth in 2006 after riding the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France. For
2007 he will be 'fresher' after only tackling the French tour. The shorter lengths
of the time trials should favour the CSC rider, who excels on the climbs but
suffers devastating time losses in the test against the clock.

It will be interesting to see what Australian Evans can do on this course
after spending so much energy in the Tour
de France, where he finished a close second behind Alberto Contador. His
strong team could help him ride to the race's top spot.

American Tom Danielson is back on form after battling an intestinal
illness that, among other things, caused him to miss the Tour. He picked
up a stage win on his way to sixth overall last year. With the help of pure
climber Brajkovic, he could make the top of the podium.

'Ale-Jet' Petacchi is the biggest winner of the group with 17 wins. The Italian
will point to come back kicking after a dark period following the Giro. Double
Tour stage winner 'Benna' and Freire will be the ones to threaten Petacchi the
most. Expect to seek World Champion Bettini, 'Tin-Tin' Rebellin and Schumacher
take the cake on the rolling stages.